Missing Solo Camper Found Alive After Four Days North of Phoenix

A man who went missing after a solo camping trip north of the Phoenix area has been found alive after being missing for four days.

Mark Eric Young, 76, was reported missing after not returning from a solo hike along Bloody Basin Road off Interstate 17. His vehicle was found on Friday morning near Bloody Basin Road, about 30 minutes from Black Canyon City, with many of his belongings, including his sleeping bag, left inside the car.

Family members said Young, an experienced hiker and Vietnam veteran, was in town for a wedding and decided to extend his trip after his wife flew home. He left for the solo camping trip on Thursday, but when he did not show up for dinner on Friday night, his family knew something was wrong.

His daughter-in-law, Lydia Young, said she received a call around 1 p.m. Monday that Mark Young had been spotted in a hard-to-reach area north of the Valley. She described him as dehydrated and having some injuries, but conscious and alert.

A rescue helicopter was flown in to transport Mark Young to a nearby hospital. Family members told Arizona’s Family that they never gave up hope during the search.

Lydia Young said upon hearing the news, “I just burst into tears. I just burst into tears. And, you just, it’s just such a sense of relief and it’s just overcome with emotion.”

Mark Young is reportedly familiar with the terrain from previously living in Arizona. Arizona’s Family has reached out to the sheriff’s office for an update on his condition.